


Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Thor and Sparkles

by literally_no_idea



Series: Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH) Main Series [30]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Gen, SDfSH 'verse, Service Animals, Service Dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 08:03:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18331964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literally_no_idea/pseuds/literally_no_idea
Summary: Natasha’s plan to talk to Wade Wilson and figure out what his needs might be gets interrupted by Thor’s sudden return to Earth. He says he’s defeated Thanos, and he’ll be able to take some time to stay on Earth for a while. It’s weird, having the god back so suddenly, but everyone adjusts around him, and he and Loki decide to just share their floor of the tower, seeing as there’s multiple bedrooms on each of the personal floors anyway.





	Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Thor and Sparkles

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the series, or if you're new here, welcome! This part is about Thor and Sparkles. Enjoy!

Natasha’s plan to talk to Wade Wilson and figure out what his needs might be gets interrupted by Thor’s sudden return to Earth. He says he’s defeated Thanos, and he’ll be able to take some time to stay on Earth for a while. It’s weird, having the god back so suddenly, but everyone adjusts around him, and he and Loki decide to just share their floor of the tower, seeing as there’s multiple bedrooms on each of the personal floors anyway.

 

A few days after Thor’s return, he starts to ask questions about the service dogs, asking whether or not he can have one too. Natasha tells him she’ll think about it, and one night while she’s curled up on the couch on her personal floor Tony requests access to her floor. Natasha grants it, and Tony comes strutting into Natasha’s living room.

 

“So! Thor wants a dog, right? And you’re going to get him one, right?” Tony asks, and Natasha shrugs. 

 

“I’m not entirely sure what a dog could do for him. Anger and anxiety alerts and intervention, I would say. But I also don’t know what breed would be best for him.”

 

Tony grins. “That’s what I was thinking, too. I have a great idea for a dog for him. Do you trust me? Can I go get his dog for him and bring the dog back to you?”

 

Natasha hesitates, then nods. “Yeah, okay. Sure. Just bring the dog up here again.”

 

Tony immediately starts heading back towards the elevator, yelling over his shoulder. “Yep, definitely! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!”

 

* * *

 

Tony comes back to Natasha’s floor an hour and a half later, holding a small bundle of fur. “Ta-daaa!” Tony shouts, holding the dog out, and Natasha bursts out laughing. It’s a pug, a small, smush-faced little puppy with big, bulgy eyes. “She’s amazing, isn’t she? I think we should name her Sparkles, like lightning sparkling, you know?”

 

It takes a solid three minutes before Natasha’s able to breathe enough to take the puppy, holding her up to look at her. “She’s perfect, Tony. Honest to god perfect. You’re amazing. Yeah, alright. How old is she? And where did you get her from?”

 

“She’s six months, and she came from a litter that the owner wasn’t expecting. She was the runt of the litter, no one else wanted her.”

 

Natasha nods. “Okay, awesome. I’ll start training tomorrow then, it shouldn’t take long. Thanks, Stark.”

 

Tony grins. “You’re welcome, always willing to help.”

 

* * *

 

Training only takes about two months, because Sparkles’ tasks just involve alerting to Thor’s anxiety or anger and then grounding and distracting Thor through interaction. Natasha teaches her how to do all of her commands on leash from the ground, but she also teaches her how to task while in Thor’s arms or lap, because with how big Thor is, she’ll probably spend a lot of her time just being carried around.

 

Tony makes her a small vest that has replaceable patches, and Natasha walks Sparkles into see Thor with her vest on. “Friend!” Thor says as they enter the communal floor living room where Thor, Loki, Rhodey, Clint, and Tony are sitting on the couch, playing Super Smash Bros Melee, “Who is the small one for?”

 

“She’s for you,” Natasha says, walking Sparkles over, and Thor picks the dog up, frowning as Sparkles’ breath comes with wheezing noises.

 

“Why does she breathe like that? Has she been wounded? Has she been in combat?”

 

Clint and Tony burst out laughing, and Loki and Rhodey immediately grab cushions off the couch, smothering the other two men’s laughter under the pillows. Natasha has to hold back a grin. “No, she hasn’t been wounded, that’s just how she breathes. It’s part of her breed. Her name is Sparkles.”

 

Thor nods. “We had little creatures on Asgard that were similar. Thank you, Nat. I’ll be glad to have Sparkles with me.”

 

“Should I tell you what she does?” Natasha asks, and Thor nods again, so she explains.

 

* * *

 

The first time the team goes out for dinner after Thor gets Sparkles, they’re asked to wait in the entryway, and the manager comes out, frowning, and tells them that they don’t want Sparkles there, because she’s “not a service dog like the other dogs.” Before Natasha can say anything, Tony steps forward, coming face to face with the woman.

 

“Sorry, have you read the ADA? You know, the Americans with Disabilities Act? Because if you haven't, here's some fun facts: there’s no breed requirement, or size requirement, and a service dog only needs to have one task that helps mitigate the handler’s disability, which his dog has. Fines for denying access to a service dog when that dog is behaved and under the handler’s control, which she is, can be in the range of one thousand dollars.”

 

Tony gets practically nose to nose with the woman. “Is this really the hill you want to die on? Denying a Norse god and Avenger the right to eat some goddamn steak? Because there’s hundreds of other restaurants in New York City, even in the world, that I could easily get us to, but we chose yours. So are we going to eat here, or should I find another restaurant to give a large tip to?” The woman splutters, and Tony nods. “Yeah, we’ll eat somewhere else. Let’s go, team!”

 

They find a nice little restaurant a few blocks down that has great food, and Tony tips them a few hundred dollars before they leave. If Natasha’s being honest, she’s glad they ended up here instead, the food was amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> Service dog facts of the day:
> 
> -Yes, small service dogs are definitely a thing!! While a small service dog like Sparkles can't be something like a mobility service dog, there's still a lot that they can do. Small service dogs are often used for things like allergy detection and all kinds of medical alerts, like seizure, anxiety, and cardiac alert.
> 
> -Small service dogs often work from the arms or laps of their handlers, however, they should be fully capable of working from the ground, too. For the most part, service animals should be able to work from the ground, however, there may be times where this isn't the case: for example, if a service dog needs to be in their handler's lap to perform their task, then they are allowed to be in their handler's lap.
> 
> -Fines for denying a service animal public access, harassing a service animal, endangering a service animal and/or their handler, and harming a service animal vary from place to place. The amount Tony mentions is what applies to New York State. It may be more or less based on where you live.
> 
> With all that said, if you want to see other drabbles or notes related to this series or want to talk to me about this series or anything else, you can find me on tumblr [ here ](https://servicedogsforsuperheroes.tumblr.com)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!!


End file.
